Five goals and two returns. One more double for the top scorer and three goals for the midfielders. Changes and rest for the three forwards. Minutes for Fermín. Shining for Pablo Torre. And the great ovation for the recovered Gavi. The night was happy, fun and emotional for a Barcelona that arrives full of joy to settle scores with Bayern and Real Madrid.
There was a time when Barcelona’s games were choked after national team breaks. It wasn’t that long ago that the Blaugrana team entered the field to see them coming and conceded early goals. The nights of meetings of chewing up minutes of emptiness were repeated, nights in which it was difficult to make things happen on the grass. The first parts of yawning are over. There are no boring periods. There is no time to fall asleep. He who blinks misses it with this Barça.
The Blaugrana have taken the lead and will arrive at the Bernabéu three points ahead of Real Madrid. Flick will reunite with his former team, Bayern, in the Champions League with the peace of mind that his new adventure has left its own mark, electric and fun, from the beginning. This Barça doesn’t give up. He does not sign armistices or agree to tables. He just wants to win, collect goals and spread fun among his parish, who once again enjoy going to the field.
As president Laporta says, the team is once again at the center of the culé’s life. And that is the merit of a fast game, of setting a high pace, of not making excuses, of always wanting more and seeking to suffocate the rival. Barça does not stop, always moving, pressing, looking for spaces and unbalancing the defenses.
They just need to turn the game around with a totally reckless penalty. Lamine Yamal saw Raphinha on the edge but the ball fell to his right, which is not his good leg. The forward had to control and while he was preparing to turn his body, Pequé touched him with his knee. The Brazilian noticed the contact and the referee who was on the front line declared the 11 meters, a candy for the sweet-toothed Lewandowski, who is sweet and made the first.
The Pole, at 36 years old, is rejuvenated surrounded by all the young people and benefited by the constant arrivals and crosses to the area. He identifies with that style and with the good memories of his time with Flick, he is determined to lead. Only then can you understand that at his age he scores more than one goal per game. 14 in 12 games.
The number nine was the one who, just four minutes later, opened the right wing for Lamine Yamal and started the race like a man possessed because he knew it was a dangerous play. The young winger wanted to please and showed that he had recovered from the overload due to which he returned early from the Spanish team. But the recipient of his pass was Koundé, to whom the ball went under his legs, and reached Pedri, who placed it forcefully away from the stretched Nyland. Even Flick got carried away with the euphoria and jumped.
Immediately afterwards, the Sevilla goalkeeper avoided the third in another incredibly vertical play, in which Lamine Yamal left Lewandowski alone at the penalty spot. The Pole didn’t get it right in that one-on-one but he did know how to put his foot on a low cross shot from Raphinha. He deflected it enough to beat Nyland. Three goals in 38 minutes, fast track.
Not even at 3-0 did Barcelona relax. The break did not lower the revolutions of Flick’s team. Not at all. They came out again with the goal between their eyebrows. They poured into the Sevilla area and in the first five minutes they came close to scoring three times. Starting with Lamine Yamal he brought people to their feet with two actions with the outside. With the first, from the edge of the area, he looked for the shot and the goal. Only Nyland’s flight prevented the goal. With the second, the winger copied Vila-real’s fantastic and millimeter pass again to leave Raphinha alone in front of the goalkeeper. The Brazilian scored but in an advanced position. With his desire intact, Raphinha himself tried it from the edge of the box and touched the post.
Of course, it was inevitable that the stands began to look at the substitutes’ warm-up on the sideline. The first to appear there was Fermín, who soon replaced Raphinha. Then came the most anticipated moment when the much-missed Gavi put on his bib with a half smile knowing that Barcelona fans were going to chant his name. It was the fifth change, with bracelet included. He had not played for Barça since November 7, 2023. But before that, Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal also left, aware that this was the appetizer of the three highlights of the calendar: Bayern, classic and derby against Espanyol.
The emotionality of the final stretch was converted into pragmatism by Pablo Torre, who took advantage of the quarter of an hour he had to score a double, the second from a foul in which Iñigo failed to comb the ball. Idumbo scored the goal of honor for the visitor. It was the only but, along with Ansu Fati’s unsuccessful effort, in a great night.
#Barça #respite #Sevilla #aims #Bayern
